Strawberries remain at top of pesticide list, report says

By Johanzynn Gatewood

Updated 2212 GMT (0612 HKT) March 10, 2017

Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what's happening in the world as it unfolds.

Photos:The 2017 'Dirty Dozen'

Every year, the Environmental Working Group publishes its Dirty Dozen list, naming the fruits and vegetables that rank highest in pesticide residue. This year, strawberries remained at the top of the list; a single sample of strawberries showed 20 pesticides.

Hide Caption

1 of 12

Photos:The 2017 'Dirty Dozen'

Spinach jumped into the second spot this year with twice as much pesticide residue by weight than any other crop on the Dirty Dozen list. Four pesticides -- one insecticide and three fungicides -- were responsible for the bulk of the residues detected on spinach.

Hide Caption

2 of 12

Photos:The 2017 'Dirty Dozen'

Nectarines remained in the third spot on the list. Nearly all samples of strawberries, spinach, peaches, nectarines, cherries and apples tested positive for residue of at least one pesticide, according to the group.

Hide Caption

3 of 12

Photos:The 2017 'Dirty Dozen'

Last year, apples came in at No. 2 after having been a list leader for the past five years. This year, apples fell to the fourth spot on the list.

Hide Caption

4 of 12

Photos:The 2017 'Dirty Dozen'

Peaches moved down one ranking this year after claiming the No. 4 spot in 2016.

Hide Caption

5 of 12

Photos:The 2017 'Dirty Dozen'

Pesticides on conventionally grown pears have increased dramatically in recent years, according to the latest tests by the USDA. Pears now rank sixth on the list, up from 22nd previously.

Hide Caption

6 of 12

Photos:The 2017 'Dirty Dozen'

Cherries remained at the No. 7 spot on the Dirty Dozen list.

Hide Caption

7 of 12

Photos:The 2017 'Dirty Dozen'

Grapes moved down this year from No. 6 to No. 8, according to the report.

Hide Caption

8 of 12

Photos:The 2017 'Dirty Dozen'

Celery fell this year to the No. 9 spot after being ranked fifth last year.

Hide Caption

9 of 12

Photos:The 2017 'Dirty Dozen'

Tomatoes also moved down one ranking this year after claiming the No. 9 spot in 2016.The USDA rotates what food it tests for pesticides with a special focus on produce that kids consume.

Hide Caption

10 of 12

Photos:The 2017 'Dirty Dozen'

Sweet bell peppers remained at the No. 10 spot on the list. Hot peppers may also have pesticide residue, but they made only the expanded list.

Hide Caption

11 of 12

Photos:The 2017 'Dirty Dozen'

Potatoes cracked the list this year at No. 12. Pears and potatoes were new additions to the Dirty Dozen, displacing cherry tomatoes and cucumbers from last year's list.

Hide Caption

12 of 12

Story highlights

The Environmental Working Group released its annual "Dirty Dozen" list

Spinach had the second highest concentration of pesticide residue, up from eighth

Pears and potatoes joined the list; cherry tomatoes and cucumbers are no longer on it

(CNN)An annual report by the Environmental Working Group found that nearly 70% of samples of 48 types of conventionally grown produce were contaminated with pesticide residues. That's down 6.6 percentage points from last year.

The EWG Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce, released Wednesday, ranks pesticide contamination of popular fruits and vegetables based on more than 36,000 samples of produce tested by the US Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration.

This year, strawberries remained at the top of the list of produce with the highest concentration of pesticides, while sweet corn and avocados were ranked as having the lowest concentration.

What are pesticides?

Pesticides are widely used in producing food to control pests such as insects, rodents, weeds, bacteria, mold and fungus. In addition to their uses in agriculture, pesticides are used to protect public health by controlling organisms that carry tropical diseases, such as mosquitoes.

Read More

Pesticides are potentially toxic to humans, according to the World Health Organization. They may have negative effects on reproduction, immune or nervous systems, cause cancer and lead to other problems.

Pesticide residue can remain on fruits and vegetables even after they are washed and, in some cases, peeled, according to the report.

However, a report by the USDA in 2014 found that "overall pesticide chemical residues on foods tested were at levels below the tolerances established by the Environmental Protection Agency" and were not a safety concern to consumers.

Strawberries remained at the top of the list with at least 20 pesticides, while spinach jumped into the second spot with twice as much pesticide residue by weight than any other crop.

Americans eat nearly 8 pounds of fresh strawberries per person eachyear, and even when they are rinsed in the field and washed before eating, they are still most likely to be contaminated with pesticide residue, according to the Environmental Working Group.

Only 1% of samples showed any detectable pesticides in avocados and sweet corn, which were deemed the cleanest produce.

More than 80% of pineapples, papaya, asparagus, onions and cabbage that were sampled showed no pesticide residue.

Methodology

The Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit advocacy group, analyzed more than 36,000 samples taken by personnel at the USDA and the FDAwho mimicked consumer practices by first washing or peeling the produce.

To compare the fruits and vegetables, the group came up with a composite score for each type of produce based on six measures of contamination. Some of the measures include the percent of the sample tested with detectable pesticides and the average number of pesticides found on a single sample.

Shopping smart

Nutrition experts support the findings and even use the list to make recommendations to their own patients.

Join the conversation

See the latest news and share your comments with CNN Health on Facebook and Twitter.

"I believe that this is an important source of information," said Corinne Bush, a clinical nutritionist who was not part of the research.

Bush warns that some pesticides that do not exceed thresholds established by the EPA can still be very harmful, since low-level exposure over time can have extremely damaging effects.

The Environmental Working Group recommends buying organic produce whenever possible to reduce exposure to pesticides.

"If you don't want to feed your family food contaminated with pesticides, the EWG Shopper's Guide helps you make smart choices, whether you're buying conventional or organic produce," Sonya Lunder, a senior analyst with the group, said in a news release.

"Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables is essential no matter how they're grown, but for the items with the heaviest pesticide loads, we urge shoppers to buy organic. If you can't buy organic, the Shopper's Guide will steer you to conventionally grown produce that is the lowest in pesticides."

The Alliance for Food and Farming, which represents fruit and vegetable growers, disagrees with the report. "In light of new science and information about how safety fears are impacting low income consumers, it is concerning that EWG still releases a "dirty dozen" list in 2017," said Teresa Thorne, executive director of the alliance. "If EWG truly cares about public health, it will stop referring to popular produce items that kids love as 'dirty' and move toward positive, science based information that reassures consumers and promotes consumption."